Once upon a 1950’s time, when all good boys deserved models, there were large airplanes with small sheets of decals. Then times changed and the proportions reversed.
As a 1:72 builder I am dealing with the small end of the market…small as to individual size but large as an overall genre. It is ideal for a person who wants to build a lot of things but has limited space to display the results. I make do with a second house, but it will be a close-run thing one day. And that day would certainly hasten if I were to build all the variants that the kit makers present on the decal sheets.
On some it is as few as two different schemes and on others as many as five. No-one ever offers a single scheme unless it is a Wright Flier or the Spirit Of St. Louis…and even then I’ve seen different versions. The decals proliferate, and I think I can guess why:
a. If you make two designs, the person building the kit will buy two kits. And still end up with surplus decals. Basic arithmetic.
b. People will make errors and a spare scheme lets them recover and carry on.
c. Odd nationalities seen in the aero markings mean that you can sell the kits in more diverse countries. The Swedes have money so crank out those three crowns, kids.
d. Some schemes are associated with taboos. Try selling a Messerschmitt with a swastika in Europe. Try selling a Nationalist China fighter plane scheme on the Chinese mainland. If you do make one scheme, including a second choice gets your foot in the door.
e. Digital design work and printing is miles easier than the previous methods of graphic layout. Now you can do both smaller and larger than ever before on a screen with just percentage commands.
f. Whatever the reason for extra markings, you can add more detail than the 50’s. The aircraft stencil is the bugbear of the builder, but whether you enjoy putting on microscopic dots or not, the option is now there.
Whatever the reason for the extra markings, they also mean extra sales
The Little World 
Leave a comment